Cash-register.



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(No Model.)

Patanted Mar. 25, 1902. T. DARNEY.

CASH REGISTER.

(Appl t mds 26 1901) 2 Sheng-*Sheet 2- mwwbo@ I Subt/"m No; (No Model.)

UNITED STATES f PATENT OEEicE.

THOMAS OARNEY, OF DAYTON, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL OASII REG- ISTER COMPANY, OE JERSEY OITY NEIV JERSEY.

, NEY JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF CASH-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 69 6,224, dated March 25, 1902.

I Application iiled June Z6, 1901. Serial No, 66,161. (No model.)

To @ZZ 107mm t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS CARNET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cash-Registers, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a controller for ro printing devices, particularly as applied to cashsregisters. Y

The special object of the invention is to provide a means whereby when the paper strip upon which a printed record is made becomes exhausted the printing devices become inoperative, thereby preventing the hammering ct the platens against the printing-types.

In the drawings, Figure l represents an elevation view of the right-hand end of a cashregister with printing devices and my present invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation vienr showing the operation of my invention; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the cash-register, showing the general mode of operation.

Of course it makes little difference as to the style or kind of cash-register to which my invention is applied. With minor modifications, such as any skilled mechanic is able t0 3o make, it can be applied to any of the wellknown forms or types of such machines. For purposes of illustration I have shown it as applied to a machine ot the kind patented to me on the 23d day of May, 1893, No. 497,860, in

which the value-keys 5 are hung upon the transverse shaft 6. Extending vertically above the rear ends of the value-keys are the usual indicators 7, one for each value-key. The registering movementis transmitted from 4o the operated value-keys to the counter-wheels through the lifting-plates S, one of which is pivoted to each key, which are arranged to engage and rock the registering-frame 9, and consequently the registering-segment l0, with which in the usual manner and as shown in my said ,patent the counter-wheels are arranged to engage.

The universal bar or key-coupler overlies all of the keys and is supported upon trun- 5o 'nions 12, the right-hand one of which extends toward the right through the right-hand side frame 13 of the cash-register and the frame leiE of the printer. There is secured upon the right-hand end of this extended trunnion a crank-arm l5, pivoted to-which is the pawl 16, which by engagement with the ratchetwheell' turns theintermediate gear18,which is rigidly secured to the ratchet-wheel, and thereby feeds the endless inking-ribbon 19 and the detail paper strip 2O a predetermined 6o distance at each operation ot the machine. The endless ink ribbon near the front of the machine passes about a roller 2l and a guide-pin 22. Toward the rear it passes over two guide-pins 23 and a tension-roller 24:. In 65 this manner the inking-ribbon forms two parallel bands, between which are located the printing-wheels or type-carriers 25, each of which carries its respective ratchet-wheel 2G. The printing-wheels are directly connected 7o with their correspondingregistering-segments l0 through sleeves 27, upon the right-hand end of which are secured the type-wheels and upon the left-hand end of which are the gears 28, which connect directly with their respective registering-segments. In this manner the movement of the value-keys is transmits ted from the registering-segmen ts to the printing-wheels. p

Each of the printing-Wheels is provided with 8o a double series of printing-types arranged in a Well-known manner, so that duplicate types in each series are at diametrically opposite points on the periphery of the printing-wheels, tromwhich it results that when the upper printing-hammer 29 and the lower printerhammer 30 are simultaneously operated tho same impression is made upon the detail strip paper 2O and upon a paper check whichmay be inserted under the upper printing-ham- 9o mer and above the printing-wheels.

Power to operate the printing-hammers is applied through the value-keys, which give the universal bar 11 a definite movement at each operation of the machine. The latter has a slot-andpin connection with the usual form of rotation-rack 31, which is provided with two series of rack-teeth 32 and 33. By means which are well known in the art when a 'valuekey is operated the rotation rack-bar ma first rises, during which the series of rackteeth 33 engages and turns the pinion 34 on the rotation-shaft 35. At the 4conclusion of the initial movement of the key the rotation rack-bar is shifted so as to bring the other series of rack-teeth 32 into engagement With'the rotation-pinion 34 during the return movement of the value-keys. In this manner the rotation-shaft is turned always in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the rotation-shaft 35 also extends through the side frame 13 of the cash-register and the frame 14 of the printer, and there is secured upon its right-hand extension a disk-cam 36, having a single tooth 37, and a drop-,cam 38. Cooperating with the drop-cam is a block or projection 39, which is secured to and carried by the lower-platen-carrying arm 40, which is pivoted upon a stub-shaft 41. A sleeve 42 is rigidly secured to the lower-platen-carrytween its ends upon a pin 45.

ing arm and turns upon the stub-shaft 41 in order to give said platenfcarrying arm a wider bearing. This sleeve is provided with a locking-shoulder 43, coperating with which is a locking-lever 44, which is pivoted be- The front end of the locking-lever carries an antifrictionroller 46, which rests upon the periphery of paper-roll upon the storage-roller 47. `The detail record is printed by the printing-wheels 25 upon this strip 20. There is a spiral spring 48, which vis fixed at one end and at the other is bent over the locking-pawl 44, so as to `press the roller 46 at all times against the periphery of the paper-roll. So long as thereis asupply of paper on the storage-roller the diameter of said paper-roll is suicient to hold the locking-lever in inactive position. As the paper is unwound from the storage-roller the front end of the locking-lever descends, and `of course the rear end thereof ascends, until finally the diameter of the paper-roll becomes so much reduced that the antifriction-roller instead of resting ou its periphery slips lpast it altogether, as shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the upper or rear end of the locking-lever is swung upward against the sleeve 42.i When thereafter a value-key is pressed and the Normally the upper printer-hammer is notl operated,and it'rexnains inoperative unless the check-key 50 is pressed priorto the operation of a value key or keys. A coiled spring 51, which is coiled about the pivot 52 of the check-key, tends to retain the latter in normal position and to return it to said position when it is released after having been moved therefrom. The rear end of the check-key has a jointed connection with a vertical check- '.pawl 71, pivoted upon the pin 45.

printing slide 53,y which has two vertical slots 54, through the lower' one of whichpasses the headed pin 55. Through the upper slot passes the stub-shaft 41,and its vertical check-printing slide 53 is movable in a vertical direction only. It lies close against the frame 14 of the printer Y and between it and the lower printer-hammer. The clutch member 56 lies flat against the outer side of the lower printervhammer and has a bifurcated lower end, the

legs of which straddle the stub-shaft 41, parallel slide-slots being cut in the sleeve 42 for this purpose, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2in broken lines. At itsupper end the clutch member carries a pin 57, which normally pro jects through a notch 58, formed in the upper edge of the lower printer-hammer or platen r'carrying arm. The pin also extends through the notch 59, which is formed near the upper end of the check-printing vslide-plate 53. When now the check-lever 50 is pressed, the slide is raised, thereby carrying or moving the pin 57 into the slot 60, formed in the lower edge of the upper-platen-carrying arm 61, whose spring 62 tends normally to swing the upper platen 29 down against the periphery of the printing-wheels. Spring-plungers 63 operate to normally hold the platens away from the printing-types.

As stated, the upperFplaten-carrying arm 61 is normally inactive, and it is only actuated through the lower-platen-carrying arm. Normally the two platen-carrying arms'are disengaged; but when the check-,lever 50 is depressed through the operation of the clutch member 56 thetwo platen-carrying arms become engaged, as will be readily understood, and when thereafter upon the turning of the rotation-shaft 35 the lower-platen-carrying arm is depressed by the drop-cam 3S the upperplaten-carrying arm will be simultaneously operated, as will be readily understood. In order to temporarily hold the clutch member in its upper position and the two platen-car- ICO IIO

rying arms thus engaged, the check-printing slide 53 is provided in its front edge with a notch 70, coperating with which is a detent= The pawl isspring-pressed toward the rear and has a disengaging-arm 72, which cooperates with the disk-cam 36. When the check-key is pressed, the check-printing slide is raised until the detent-pawl is swung into the notch 70, thereby preserving the checkprinter slide 53 in its raised position until the turning of the rotation-shaft brings the tooth 37 of the disk-cam into engagement with the dsengagingarms 72 of the detentpawl, whereupon the latter is rocked out of engagement with the notch 70 and the check-printer slide, and the check-key will swing back to normal position.

The advantages of employing my invention in yconnection with a printing cash-register will be apparent to any one familiar with the art. For example, it frequently happens that the detail strip becomes exhausted unnoticed while a person is operating the machine. In that event the printing-hammer or platen is repeatedly hammered against the printingtype with only the ink-ribbon intervening. This is destructive to the platen and injurious to the ink-ribbon and type. The normally interveningr taut paper strip prevents injury to the type and prevents the injurious indentation of the platen or hammer. IIeretofore there has been no way of absolutely preventing this except by unceasing watchfulness on the part of the operator. Vith `my present invention, however, when the detail paper upon which the record is printed has been run oil? the storage-roll and while. yet the rear end of the paper stripintervenes between the printing-hammer and the type-carriers the locking-lever est under the impulse of its spring passes by the storage-roller and swings up, so that its rear end rests against the periphery of the sleeve 42. On the subsequent operation of the machine when the lower printing-hammer is retracted the shoulder 43 is swung around so far that the engaging end of the locking-lever snaps in under the shoulder 43, thereby holding` the lower printing-hammer, and consequently the upper printing-hammer, from operation until the operator or person in charge of the machine replenishes the storage-roller and returns the locking-lever to substantially the position shown in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- I. In a cash-register, the combination with the type-carriers and a platen, of a storageroller for a detail strip and of means which is controlled by the diameter of the paper on the storage-roller for automatically engaging' the operative parts of theplaten when the paperroll has become a certain size.

2. In a cash-register, the combination with the type-carriers and a platen, of operating mechanism forbringing the platen against the type-carriers, a storage-roller, and a locking` lever or pawl which is controlled by the size of the paper-roll on the storage-roller so as t0 automatically engage the said operating mechanism and to lock the platen in inoperative position before the detail strip becomes eX- hausted.

3. In a cash-register, the combination with the type-carriers and a platen, of the storagerollcr, and a locking lever or pawl which is arranged to automatically engage said platen and prevent its operation before the paper strip upon which the record is printed has become exhausted.

et. In a device of the class described, the combination with the type-carriers and the platen, of a storage-roller, means for automatically locking the printer before the complete exhaustion of the detail strip, which consists of a stop device normally in contact with the periphery of the paper-roll on the storageroller and arranged so that when the diameter of the paper-roll has become reduced to a certain degree it will automatically engage the platen and prevent its operation.

5. In a cash-register, the combination with the type-carriers, of a storage-roller, a platen so arranged that the detail strip is led from the storage-roller between said type-carriers and platen, and a spring-pressed locking-lever which is pivoted between its ends and has one end resting upon the periphery of the paper-roll and the other end arranged to engage and preventthe operation of the platen before the detail strip becomes exhausted from the storage-roller.

G. In a cash-register, the combination with a type-carrier and a platen, operating mechanism for the platen including the shoulder or projection 43, a storage-roller upon which the detail strip is wound and from which it is rled between the type-carrier and the platen,

and a locking-lever having a spring-which causes one end of said locking-lever to rest normally upon the periphery of the paperroll whereby when the diameter of the storage-roll has become sufdciently reduced, the other end of said locking-lever will engage the projection 43.

In testimony whereof I aitix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS CARNEY. Witnesses:

IRA Bnnns'rnnssnn, W. MCCARTHY. 

